William Randolph Hearst and the Sacred Stones
William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father. Moving to New York City, he acquired The New York Journal and engaged in a bitter circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer's New York World which led to the creation of yellow journalism — sensationalized stories of dubious veracity. Acquiring more newspapers, Hearst created a chain that numbered nearly 30 papers in major American cities at its peak. He later expanded to magazines, creating the largest newspaper and magazine business in the world.
Hearst’s connection with the Sacred Stones begins in 1929 when his mother’s estate on the McCloud River near Mount Shasta named Wyntoon Castle burned to the ground. Hearst decided to build a medieval castle to replace his mother’s estate, and he and his architect Julia Morgan engaged Arthur Byne, their agent in Spain, to find appropriate architectural treasures to use for the construction project.
Byne soon informed Morgan and Hearst in 1931 that he had found the perfect property to fulfill their requirements: the former Cistercian abbey Santa Maria de Ovila. Several of the structures seemed useful to Byne, but of particular interest was the ancient medieval chapter house that had been left almost completely untouched by later rebuilding efforts at Ovila.
Hearst had the buildings taken down in Spain and shipped to San Francisco where they were warehoused in their wooden crates in San Francisco Harbor.
During the following years Morgan, Hearst and their workmen made plans and began work on the reconstructed Wyntoon Castle, but in 1933, before serious construction was started, Hearst decided that his plans had to be significantly scaled back. While he continued to be a very rich man, Hearst was not left untouched by the Great Depression. In addition Hearst’s finances were already committed to other ambitious construction projects including Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
In 1941 Hearst successfully transferred ownership of the stones from Santa Maria de Ovila to the De Young Museum of San Francisco with the stipulation that they would use the stones to build a medieval museum in Golden Gate Park. In exchange the city agreed to pay fees that Hearst had accumulated for warehousing the stones in San Francisco Harbor.
At this point Hearst’s direct involvement with the Sacred Stones ends, but after ownership of the stones was transferred to Abbey of New Clairvaux in 1994, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation played a significant philanthropic role by supporting the reconstruction of the medieval chapter house on the abbey grounds in Vina, California.
Hearst’s connection with the Sacred Stones begins in 1929 when his mother’s estate on the McCloud River near Mount Shasta named Wyntoon Castle burned to the ground. Hearst decided to build a medieval castle to replace his mother’s estate, and he and his architect Julia Morgan engaged Arthur Byne, their agent in Spain, to find appropriate architectural treasures to use for the construction project.
Byne soon informed Morgan and Hearst in 1931 that he had found the perfect property to fulfill their requirements: the former Cistercian abbey Santa Maria de Ovila. Several of the structures seemed useful to Byne, but of particular interest was the ancient medieval chapter house that had been left almost completely untouched by later rebuilding efforts at Ovila.
Hearst had the buildings taken down in Spain and shipped to San Francisco where they were warehoused in their wooden crates in San Francisco Harbor.
During the following years Morgan, Hearst and their workmen made plans and began work on the reconstructed Wyntoon Castle, but in 1933, before serious construction was started, Hearst decided that his plans had to be significantly scaled back. While he continued to be a very rich man, Hearst was not left untouched by the Great Depression. In addition Hearst’s finances were already committed to other ambitious construction projects including Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
In 1941 Hearst successfully transferred ownership of the stones from Santa Maria de Ovila to the De Young Museum of San Francisco with the stipulation that they would use the stones to build a medieval museum in Golden Gate Park. In exchange the city agreed to pay fees that Hearst had accumulated for warehousing the stones in San Francisco Harbor.
At this point Hearst’s direct involvement with the Sacred Stones ends, but after ownership of the stones was transferred to Abbey of New Clairvaux in 1994, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation played a significant philanthropic role by supporting the reconstruction of the medieval chapter house on the abbey grounds in Vina, California.
